1. Technical Field
This invention relates to umbrellas and, more particularly, to a combination umbrella and folding chair for providing a barrier between a user and the sun or rain while the user employs the chair in outdoor environments.
2. Prior Art
Beach chairs provide temporary places for people to sit and rest when they are camping, fishing or playing on a beach. To prevent sunburns and receiving excessive rays from the sun, most beach chairs are equipped with a sunshade. A conventional foldable beach chair includes a seat, a backrest, legs, armrests and a sunshade. The backrest usually includes a U-shaped tubular frame with a horizontal top and two essentially vertical sides. The sunshade has a shaft and a securing device that clamps on or otherwise attaches to the tubular frame. The seat, the backrest, the legs and the armrests are connected together to form a chair body and are foldable so the chair can be stored or carried easily. The sunshade is attached to the top of the backrest frame by the securing device.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,666,221 to Booth discloses a chair seat portion and a chair back portion and an umbrella assembly adapted for mounting on the chair back portion. The umbrella assembly includes a receiver tube adapted for receiving an umbrella post to support the umbrella in an upright attitude. The receiver tube provides a pair of L-shaped ears extending from an exterior surface, and the chair back portion provides a mounting block engaged on a rear surface of the chair back portion. The mounting block is adapted for receiving the pair of L-shaped ears within a corresponding pair of L-shaped holes within the mounting block so as to stabilize the umbrella assembly on the chair. Unfortunately, this prior art example does not include a cup holder and a means for folding the entire assembly into a single transportable container.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,234,187 to Izzo discloses an adjustable umbrella apparatus comprised of an umbrella with a canopy and a rod. A connector is attached to the rod and has a pair of prongs extending therefrom. The connector is disposed within a channel formed in an umbrella base. The connector prongs are spring-loaded relative to the connector body within the channel and, when released, the prongs are urged through corresponding lock holes to retain the umbrella in a desired position relative to the umbrella base. When the spring-loaded prongs are compressed, the connector may be slid within the channel longitudinally or rotatably relative to the longitudinal axis of the channel. In this manner, the umbrella may be adjusted longitudinally and rotatably to a chosen orientation and held securely in place in that chosen orientation. The umbrella base is formed integral with or attachable to a framed chair such as a beach chair. Unfortunately, this prior art example does not provide an umbrella and beach chair in one convenient assembly.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,255,954 to Rogers discloses a chair back connected umbrella support that is formed by an open frame and vertically supported by an elongated sleeve that slidably receives the shank of an umbrella. The frame is removably supported by an inclined chair back by J-shaped hooks connected therewith and the umbrella shank receiving sleeve is disposed substantially vertically by a pair of tubes projecting laterally of the frame and nested by sockets connected with the chair back below the J-shaped hooks. A cam lever engages the umbrella shank and vertically adjustably supports the umbrella relative to the chair and the occupant therein.
Accordingly, the present invention is disclosed in order to overcome the above noted shortcomings. The present invention satisfies such a need by providing an assembly that is convenient and easy to use, lightweight yet durable in design, and designed for providing a barrier between a user and the sun or rain while the user employs the chair in outdoor environments. The combination umbrella and folding chair is advantageously designed to allow a user to conveniently have all the pieces necessary for relaxing outdoors in one assembly. The umbrella and folding chair allows a user to raise or lower the umbrella as desired by a user, while also providing a means for storing a beverage within a user's reach. The umbrella and folding chair is also designed for allowing a user to relax in the chair with their feet in the water. The present invention is simple to use, inexpensive, and designed for many years of repeated use.